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Ear drops safe while breastfeeding?

Hello!

I'm still nursing our 14-month-old and plan to let her self-wean, so I haven't a clue when I'll stop. I've just been diagnosed with ear infections and eczema in both ears and have been given prescriptions for an antibiotic ear drop for the infection, and an ear cream for the eczema, which I'm told contains a small amount of steroids.

I plan to call dd's pediatrician, but I'd love some first-hand advice/info. Has anyone used ear drops while nursing, more specifically Ciprodex (the antibiotic) or Elocon (the low-dose steroid eczema cream)?

I tried contacting the Infant Risk Center, but got no answer.

Any information or advice anyone has would be most welcome. I'm so skeptical of pharmaceuticals these days, and I so don't want my health to adversely affect hers.

Re: Ear drops safe while breastfeeding?

Yes. I called at 10 am eastern time (9 am central). There was no answer at all, no machine, nothing. I'll try again this afternoon during dd's nap. Perhaps I misdialed. I'll post either way after I've tried again.

Re: Ear drops safe while breastfeeding?

Sorry to alarm you unnecessarily. I just called and they are definitely still around.

Just in case anyone else is interested in these two medications, I spoke with dd's pediatrician. She wasn't comfortable with the Ciprodex and suggested I use Cortisporin Otic Suspension instead, which the woman at Infant Risk confirmed is probably okay. Both pediatrician and Infant Risk seem to be okay with the Elocon.

Question about Infant Risk, though. She gave me all the information that came up, including the L rating and secretion into the milk, so at first I thought she'd say neither were okay, but then she said the absorption would be minimal, so they would both probably be okay. But, it would seem that with both of them at least trace amounts will end up in my milk.

I don't absolutely have to take these medications. If I don't take them, I'll have to deal with an annoying itch (that I have never managed to fully avoid giving into) and end up with clogged ears that will have to repeatedly be cleaned out if I want to hear anything, so it'll be more annoying than life-threatening. If Infant Risk says they're both "probably okay," is it really okay for me to take these? Or, will dd be better off if I just grin and bear it?

Also, just as an aside, has anyone used breast milk to fix these sorts of skin things/infections? I've read that breast milk has amazing healing properties and that it has been shown to cure, or at least help, ear infections, eczema, etc. Anyone tried this? (Hope I don't sound too whacko by asking this.)

Re: Ear drops safe while breastfeeding?

i don't have an answer to your specific situation, but i think at some point each of us has to make risk evaluation decisions regarding our own bodies and those of our kids. the same decision i might be completely comfortable with might feel too risky to you (there are a million examples: vaccines, alcohol, soft cheese and driving while pregnant, etc)

in your shoes, i might weigh the benefits of taking the drugs now, versus waiting a year or so (however long till DD weans), versus not at all.

i put breast milk on some eczema i had on my hand a few times; i can't tell if it helped at all, but in the meantime i started using california baby calendula cream every night and it's now gone for almost a year. before, i'd very sparingly used a steroid cream. my non-expert understanding about the use of steroids for eczema is that they suppress it, but then when you stop the steroid, the eczema comes back even stronger, so this is a lifelong maintenance drug once you start it. at least this is true for several people i know. fwiw. a lot of people think eczema is diet-related; i didn't intentionally change anything.

Re: Ear drops safe while breastfeeding?

Thank you so much for all this information.

I do see that the eczema comes and goes. I had an eczema flare up when I was breastfeeding my son, too, but it was between my legs and behind my ears ... a little easier to manage without meds. This in-the-ear thing, though, seems more difficult to ignore. Plus, I have it all over my scalp and my hair is falling out because of it. I see the dermatologist next week.

I'm very hesitant to take any kind of drugs, so thank you so much for mentioning that the steroid cream will likely need to be continued. In light of that, I'll likely not do it unless it really gets unbearable. And, thank you for the California Baby calendula cream tip. I might just try that when the dermatologist prescribes goodness knows what drug for the rest of my head.

Honestly, I'm amazed how much of a mess I can turn into sometimes. Thanks so much for your help.

Re: Ear drops safe while breastfeeding?

happy to help! hope the eczema gets better - it can really be a b****. you might ask the dermatologist about the steroids, too, just to see what they say. maybe some work better/more permanently than others.